Solution selling is a sales methodology that focuses on solving the customer's pain points and creating value for them, rather than pushing a product or service. However, to be effective, you need to balance educating and challenging your prospects without overwhelming or offending them. How do you do that? Here are some tips to help you.
Before you can educate or challenge your prospects, you need to understand their needs, goals, challenges, and motivations. This means asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and empathizing with their situation. By doing this, you can build rapport, trust, and credibility with your prospects, and show them that you care about their success.
Be concise and clear in your explanations, using simple language and avoiding jargon whenever possible. Genuinely care about increasing my friends perspective on their potential by challenging them to open the aperture of their worldview. When challenging prospects, do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Ask open-ended questions that encourage them to think critically about their current situation and consider new perspectives. Understanding or empathy in sales is key to customer success.
One thing I’ve found helpful is to genuinely care about increasing my friends perspective on their potential by challenging them to open the aperture of their worldview. Obviously, you must really believe it and establish trust in them that this is authentic. Outward concern for their well being, love, is this way, and can be a true principal from which to assist them in breakthrough and increased success! Love and Peace, Mike
When educating prospects, focus on providing valuable and relevant information that addresses their pain points or interests. Be concise and clear in your explanations, using simple language and avoiding jargon whenever possible. This will make it easier for your prospects to understand and absorb the information you share. When challenging prospects, do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Ask open-ended questions that encourage them to think critically about their current situation and consider new perspectives. Be prepared to listen and engage in a constructive dialogue, showing empathy and understanding of their concerns!
Part of understanding their needs includes doing our homework, being prepared to take an outside-in perspective, & leading with the buyer. Our buyers expect us to demonstrate an understanding of their business, validate our findings, & ask relevant questions. We can lose credibility, though, by the questions we ask as noted by Mark Cuban: "The questions you ask tell me, tell whoever more about you than anything else you do. In particular, it tells me about your preparation. If you ask me questions about just basic things that you should have known and you should have down to a science, that’s going to disqualify you almost more than anything." Source: OUTWORK EVERYONE | Brutally Honest Business Advice from Billionaire Mark Cuban
A question I heard recently which has worked well for me is asking them this question while customizing what you solve for. So for example: "Can you help me understand the challenges you are facing in (Customized insert here) that would derail you if you didn't solve them? It never fails to get them to open up and share their pain so you aren't at risk of being prescriptive. Then continuing to dive deeper into the root cause with more questions.
Once you have a clear picture of your prospects' needs, you can educate them with insights that are relevant, valuable, and tailored to their context. Insights are not just facts or features, but rather, they are new perspectives, ideas, or solutions that can help your prospects achieve their desired outcomes. For example, you can share a case study, a best practice, a trend, or a tip that can help them overcome a challenge, improve a situation, or avoid a risk.
Customer stories have so much power at this point. Especially if there is a metric tied to the use case. Our client received an alert of an issue on their booking site within ten minutes of an update going out. They had the visual evidence of what was happening within 15 minutes and rolled out a fix within 90 minutes. This proactive approach saved them millions of dollars as well as impacting their overall customer experience. Show them you understand what they are up against.
I have found this criteria for selling is often cited, yet often misunderstood. And often it has to do with the desire to rush the process forward. Understanding another canot happen at your speed, it happens at a joint speed. An example: in a sack race, both participants must hop at the same speed. If they do not, it doesn't work. For me I ask questions in the beginning and wait. In the beginning there is more time between questions. Over time, like the sack race, you build a cadence and speed. Understanding or empathy in sales happens the same way. When you start with questions you invite them to see it from a perspective they have not seen before. That is the sure way to build a framework for education: through understanding.
After you have educated your prospects with insights, you can challenge them with questions that provoke them to think differently, question their assumptions, or consider new possibilities. Challenging questions are not meant to be confrontational or aggressive, but rather, they are meant to be curious, respectful, and consultative. For example, you can ask them how they measure their success, what alternatives they have explored, or what implications they foresee if they don't take action.
If I have done my work at this point I can take the information they have shared and frame really good questions for example. If I have heard you correctly your team has been focused on improving self-service on your mobile app and the reason this is a priority is you are experiencing serious spikes in your contact center. Can you help us understand what metric is suffering the most as a result of this challenge? Again, diving into their pain to have them help you understand the value of resolving it.
As you educate and challenge your prospects, you need to adapt to their reactions and feedback. Some prospects may be receptive and engaged, while others may be resistant or defensive. You need to be aware of their verbal and non-verbal cues, and adjust your approach accordingly. For example, if you sense that your prospect is overwhelmed by too much information, you can pause, summarize, and check for understanding. If you sense that your prospect is offended by your challenge, you can acknowledge their point of view, and explain your intention.
When encountering resistance, it's helpful to delve into underlying causes, uncovering previously unknown obstacles. Once, working with a national insurance company, I asked about client feedback quantification, prompting defensiveness. Rather than retreating, I inquired further, expressing it seemed a frustrating area. The executive then opened up about a lack of empowerment leading to avoidable escalation issues. Probing deeper revealed an obstacle, unknown before, which I addressed effectively.
Finally, you need to provide value at every stage of the sales process, from the initial contact to the closing. Providing value means adding something positive or beneficial to your prospects' situation, without expecting anything in return. For example, you can provide value by sending them a useful resource, inviting them to a relevant event, connecting them with a peer or an expert, or giving them a free trial or a demo. By providing value, you can demonstrate your expertise, credibility, and generosity, and keep your prospects engaged and interested.
You might be wondering what a psychologist and behavior scientist has to add about sales... I know people and I know how to communicate well and here is my best advice - DO NOT LECTURE or TALK AT someone. Collaborate with them. Work together. In order to provide value, you have to know what is valuable TO THEM. Make no assumptions. As evocative questions and LISTEN. Then, if you provide some insights, as questions like "How does that fit with what you were thinking?" And, then, again LISTEN. Too many sales people drive towards their own goals and forget about the human sitting in front of them (who has needs and goals and values, too).
Remember, you can only add real value to a prospect if you understand what is important to them. Value is about worth and worth is relative. So in understanding what a Prospect cares about during a buying journey, you can meet them where they are with relevance that will be perceived as valuable. One prospect may find a man article or report valuable, while another may feel like you’re adding to their workload. As humans we will always take the path of least resistance, so ask yourself - will my prospect find this “thing or action” a worthy addition based on where they are on the journey towards their desired outcome?
The key is finding the balance between asking insightful questions and actively listening to their answers. Focus on understanding their current process and goals. Then, gently highlight areas where your solution can address their specific challenges. For example, instead of bluntly saying "Your current method seems inefficient," try asking, "Could you walk me through your process for your specific task? I'm curious if there are areas we might be able to streamline together." This shows you value their expertise and positions you as a trusted advisor, not just a salesperson.
Doing your homework before seeing a prospective client is essential. In the first meeting asking amd listening authenticity to their needs is crucial to understanding where or if your products or services meet their needs.
You’ll create the perfect balance during your interactions with Prospects if you lead with empathy. Empathy is your ability to share the feelings and perspectives of others. Take the time required to learn about what is important to a Prospect based on the context they exist in today. You’ll earn the right and trust to engage in dialogue that helps them to unpack their their issues, challenges or opportunities. By sitting in their shoes, and connecting emotionally, you’ll almost subconsciously be granted permission to constructively challenge their thinking. If you don’t understand their desired outcomes, their organizations critical priorities, their individual role in adding value to their org, you’ll struggle in your interactions.